The present invention relates generally to clamping devices and, more particularly, to multi-functional clamping devices.
The use of promotional items has proliferated in today""s increasingly competitive marketplace, where companies are constantly seeking more effective and new ways to market their products. In the healthcare industry, physicians and other healthcare providers often receive promotional articles from vendors of healthcare-related products, such as pharmaceutical products. These promotional articles often include xe2x80x9ceverydayxe2x80x9d items, such as writing pads, calendars, containers, and pens that have promotional information (indicia) printed thereon. For example, pharmaceutical companies often provide physicians with writing pens having the name of a particular pharmaceutical product printed thereon with the hopes that the pens will help remind the physicians to prescribe the particular pharmaceutical product.
Unfortunately, because of lack of distinctiveness, many promotional articles provided to healthcare providers often become xe2x80x9clost-in-the-shufflexe2x80x9d with other promotional articles. Thus, there is a need for distinctive, more effective promotional products directed to physicians and other healthcare providers.
In light of the above discussion, a clamping apparatus for use in retaining documents and/or other objects is provided with a flexible sheet dispenser attached thereto. The clamping apparatus includes a base member, an upper member that is pivotally attached to the base member, and a flexible sheet dispenser that is removably secured to the upper member. The flexible sheet dispenser includes a housing and a flexible sleeve containing one or more stacks of flexible sheets disposed within the housing.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the housing has an arcuate wall with an elongated slot formed therein. The arcuate wall includes opposite elongated edge portions, opposite end portions, an arcuate surface, and a pair of retaining members each of which protrudes from the arcuate wall surface adjacent a respective one of the arcuate wall edge portions. A pair of end walls depend from respective opposite end portions of the arcuate wall. Each housing end wall includes a locking tab depending therefrom that is configured to be inserted within a respective aperture formed within the upper member so as to enable the housing to be removably secured to the upper member front face.
The flexible sleeve is configured to individually dispense flexible sheets from one or more stacks disposed within the flexible sleeve. The flexible sleeve comprises opposite edge portions that are engaged by the retaining members such that the flexible sleeve is maintained in arcuate, face-to-face contacting relationship with the arcuate wall surface, and such that a free end of an uppermost sheet in a stack extends through the arcuate wall elongated slot.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the flexible sleeve includes a generally planar base section having opposite edge portions, and a pair of elastically deformable members each extending from a respective base section edge portion toward the other elastically deformable member in overlapping spaced relationship to the base section. Each elastically deformable member has a free edge that is spaced from and opposing the other elastically deformable member free edge, thereby defining an opening therebetween through which a free end of an uppermost sheet in a stack extends.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the housing arcuate wall elongated slot includes opposite end portions and a respective post that extends from the housing arcuate wall surface adjacent each elongated slot end portion. The posts are configured to limit movement of the flexible sleeve relative to the elongated slot.